I found this show after watching My Fair Wedding and I love this premise. It puts a spin on the traditional wedding shows that air on We and any of its sister channels, and I have to say that it takes alot of courage to go through something like this. The show focuses on a couple who decides not to go with the tried-and-true method for their wedding and embraces another culture's traditions instead. The episode I caught was about a couple named Kristin and Brandon who scrapped their idea of a traditional American wedding in favor of an Indian ceremony because they wanted something more fun and unique for their wedding proceedings.
I can admire that courage; even if the American tradition gets boring, it's all we know. The formal ceremony, big white gown, lots of flowers, the first dance, the bachelor/bachelorette parties, those are the staples of an American wedding. The Indian way of marriage is so different; for many Indian couples the ceremony itself is on the last of a 5...yes, I said five...day celebration. The days leading up to it are meant to celebrate the upcoming nuptials, to bring the families together in an effort to bond, and to partake in normal Indian wedding activities, such as the henna and blessing ceremonies. Much different from ceremonies that Americans have.
Out is the big white gown; wearing white in India is actually the color of mourning, while our color of mourning here in America is black, which is not really favored at wedding ceremonies. The bridal color in India is actually red, as this symbolizes longevity. Gone are the traditional bridesmaids' dresses in the same color; in India the bridemaids all wear different colors. The fathers are actually dressed more formally than the groom, as they are the heads of the household in which the bride and groom were raised. Gone is the couple's big first romantic slow dance, in favor of a more upbeat Indian dance to kick off the reception. Gone is the quiet entrance of the groom to the point where he is almost unnoticed; in India the entire processional follows behind the groom as he comes into the ceremony on a horse, yelling and cheering. According to Indian custom, the rowdier the crowd, the more worthy the groom is. Gone is the ability to watch the bride walk down the aisle; the groom actually has a sheet put up in front of him as the bride walks down the aisle and sits down on the other side of the sheet, then the curtain is dropped. Elements are brought into an Indian ceremony and gone is the wedding ring exchange; a necklace is given to the bride by the groom instead. Instead of a raucous bachelorette party the night before, there is a blessing ceremony where the bride sits and all of those around her take turns putting a red blessing dot on her forehead and telling her about how they feel about her and her upcoming marriage. Gone is the princess cut of the gown, Indian wedding dresses are actually saris in which the stomach is usually left bare with only a small scrap of fabric connecting the top to the bottom of the dress.
These were just some of the differences that this couple had to accept mere weeks before their ceremony, which must have brought about a very large, well, culture shock. The bride's mother seemed to be the least receptive of the proceedings and the way things were supposed to go according to this new custom her daughter adopted for the ceremony and this bothered the bride a great deal, as she had hoped her mother would partake in these things with her. Eventually she came around a little, but this goes to show that even though the wedding is supposed to be about the bride and groom, everyone has feelings about it and sometimes those who end up dampening the time leading up to it are the couple's own parents.
Another difference between American and Indian ceremonies that had a negative effect on the couple was that according to Indian custom, the mother of the bride and the groom are supposed to spend time together before the ceremony. The bride's mother and the groom in this situation don't get along well at all, with the groom feeling as though the mother doesn't really listen to the bride's desires and the mother of the bride being protective of her daughter. Things that would normally be a kink in the plans became a huge obstacle with the added stress of a change in culture for the ceremony.
The concept for this show is a good one; bringing some variety to a ceremony by changing up the culture entirely is a big change. It's alot to take in; for your big day you want things to be perfect and the uncertainty of knowing whether an entirely new culture that you're not familiar with will mesh with what you want or even end up being what you want in the end. There aren't any re-dos, there aren't any take backs. It'll be what it is and that'll be the end of it. Those are hard realities to accept when you get to the nitty gritty and everything isn't all fun and games like you anticipated. Hell that's the case for ANY wedding planning but I would imagine the stress of that reality is tenfold when it's in another culture entirely and the added layer of not disrespecting people of that culture is thrown into the mix.
Bitchy Review: Like I said, I like the concept that this show's got going on for it. I like that they show the good and bad of the couple accepting an entirely new outlook for their wedding and I like that guides of the new culture are given to the couple instead of them going on the road alone and potentially disrespecting others of that culture or integrating certain elements without understanding the significance. The show is honest and candid and allows the couple to be as well. Apparently though, it was only a special to display how different the atmosphere can be for a couple's road to marriage when everything, down to customs, are changed. Brides to be, consider these things if you get cold feet about your current wedding plans and want to change anything up!
Bitchy Rating: 3 (out of 5)
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